Just Like Cinderella
by Threaded Needles
Summary: Kinda like a Cinderella story. Elsa (Prince Charming) has to marry to keep her throne, Hans (Cinderella), takes care of the palace and people as a servant, while Kristoff and Anna (step sisters) make his life a living hell. Eventual Hans/Elsa
1. Chapter 1

Hans laid back against his straw bed, tired from the day of work. Elsa had taken mercy when she let the red head pay back for his deeds by doing manual labor around Arendelle, but mercy must have been the last thing on her mind when she put Anna and Kristoff in charge of him. The two had made him do ridiculous chores, from shoveling snow from the highest peak of the castle to scrubbing the floors of Elsa's already pristine ice castle. Elsa's rarely intervened and when she did she reassigned a chore where she could keep a close eye on him, like rearranging all her books in the library while she read an act from her counsel.

He didn't enjoy his time with the quenn, far from it, but he didn't hate it either. She kept conversation up and made sure they steered from delicate subjects like him trying to behead her and her freezing the entire kingdom.

The closest he'd gotten to her was she asked him to clean her shoes while she read from a book of fairytales. She didn't talk and he awkwardly scrubbed them clean while she readjusted herself every few seconds.

Kristoff knocked on the door, snapping him back to reality. "Hey! You've gotta scrub the floors in the ballroom."

He whipped the door open, nose almost bumping into the smelly /reindeer king/. "I'm off the clock."

"Well you're back on." Kristoff grabbed him by the thin cotton shirt. "Elsa said they need to be sparkling for the ball tomorrow night."

"What ball?" He asked, before Kristoff shoved a bucket and a rag into his hands.

"Get going."

Hans scrubbed the hard floors for most of the night, until Elsa padded downstairs, guiltily eating a cupcake as she cut her way through the ballroom to go back upstairs.

"What are you doing?" She asked, mouth full of chocolate and frosting. She looks completely unlike a queen, instead in a white nightgown and her hair in a loose braid to sleep.

He scrubs at a shoe scuff. "I could ask you the same thing. Wouldn't want you to not get the standard sixteen inches."

She flushes, dumping the treat into his soapy water. "Go to bed, Hans."

In the morning, Elsa was the one to wake him up rudely before the sun had even cleaned itself up on the horizon.

"What?" He asked, voice hoarse. He ran a hand through his bedhead.

She stood with her hands on her hips. "You're gonna shine my shoes until i can see my face in the reflection, and you're gonna fix a tear in my dress, you'll then pick flowers from outside to wear in my hair - not roses. Finally, you're gonna need to look semi decent because you're gonna be serving at the ball."

Before he could ask any questions, she stalked out the door with a gust of cold wind.

He went out and picked flowers first, using a clipper. It was too early for bees, but late enough for him to be soaked in sweat after twenty minutes of gathering various flowers and putting them in a basket. The Gardner looked at him peculiarly when he left, carrying the basket with him to his room so he could switch out the stained shirt.

He handed them off to Elsa, and she dismissively sifted through them while he placed her foot in his lap to shine it. She kicked him hard in the crotch before setting the basket aside.

"I'm allergic."

Exhausted, and dizzy from pain, he just sighed.

After she finally deemed the shoes adequate, she breaked him for lunch and to ask Kai to find him a decent suit in his size.

He spent over an hour trying to find Kai, only for Gerda to finally stop him and tell him Kai was in Corona, visiting family, as he had been for the past three days. Angrily he stalked back to Elsa's room, drained of energy almost as soon as he saw her sipping tea and absentmindedly brushing her hair, staring into the mirror.

She put her brush down. "Did Kai give you a suit?"

"Kai's in Corona."

Something clicked behind her eyes. "Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry."

Out of all things, he hadn't been expecting an apology.

"I need to finish fixing my hair before the ball, think you can sew up my dress?"

"I can try, I suppose."

He ended up in a suit by the end of the night, black with a white shirt. Elsa had smoothed down the lapels of his jacket and gave him a hesitant look.

"Don't spill anything on anyone," She reminded him, before turning around to head, dark blue dress swishing with each step. One of the other servants introduced her, and shortly after Anna and Prince Consort, Kristoff. He slipped in from the back with drinks for the group.

Hans knew he wasn't welcome there, even if he was just a servant. Many of the people thought Elsa to be too lax when she had set his punishment - they wanted him dead. Still, no one outwardly spat venom in his face, and in return he nicely asked everyone if they wanted drinks or if they needed help with various tasks, or would set aside a tray to quickly show a young maiden how to waltz a few steps.

Anna, however, had no qualms about loudly degrading him. Her and Kristoff both laughed at him while Elsa's back was turned to talk to a Prince who was first in line for a throne. "You know it's funny," Anna said, walking up to him, and grabbing a flute of champagne from his tray. "You used to be a egotistical douchebag prince and now... you're serving drinks to me at a party." She took a long drink, and then leaned over to spit the alcohol back on his feet.

He grit his teeth and smiled. "Have a nice night, Anna."

Before he could turn away and get back to the guests, she threw her arm up, knocking his tray up against his chest, shattering the glass and spilling the drinks. Despite the loud noise, and the blood dripping from his hand, almost everyone turned away from him. Anna laughed, but quickly stopped when Elsa intervened.

"Anna!"

"He provoked me!" Her lip quivered, turning on the water works. God, he was going to have to rearrange the books in the library again.

"Anna, stop lying, it's not becoming of a princess. Hans, get up, we need to take care of your hands."

Elsa lead Hans away from the party and into an empty room. The noise of the party was almost like static in the background.

She opened a couple of drawers before she sat across from him at a table. If possible, she got paler before she got to work removing the glass from his hand carnage.

After it was gone, sitting in a bloody pile next to them, she dumped whiskey on it hesitantly and then wrapped it tightly with a white bandage.

"Where'd you learn to do that?"

"When you're alone for thirteen years you read a lot and I dunno, I just was really interested in medicine for a while."

He gently moved his fingers, wondering if he could even still pick up a tray with his hand.

"You can go to bed now, if you want."

Her voice was barely a whisper when she said it.

"You don't need help with the ball?"

"Please, Hans, I don't think you'll be very useful with your hand all mangled."

He stood up. "Alright, I guess I'll see you in the morning then."

She gave a very small smile.

He went back down to his room, which was down in a cold room far enough from the dungeons to show he was high ranking, but close enough to remind him he was a prisoner. He swiftly put the suit coat, shirt, and undershirt into the laundry, reminded that he was probably going to spend the next day slaving over laundry.

He dresses in worn slacks, socks, and a long cotton shirt before collapsing into bed and realizing he's not tired. He can still hear the music coming from the party, and sound of glasses clinking, and Anna's loud squeal of laughter.

Eventually he decided he should go check up and make sure nothing is going horribly awry, and slips out of his room and down to the ballroom back doors. He places an ear against it, hearing a different male servant announce a long string of kings, lords and princes.

Then he hears a name that makes his blood run cold. "Prince Federick, of the Southern Isles."


	2. Chapter 2

"Hans! It's time to wake up!"

He pushed up from his uncomfortable bed when he heard Anna's voice to rouse him.

When he didn't immediately open the door, instead choosing to find a warmer shirt, Anna banged on it again. "Elsa's sick, guess who gets to clean that up?"

He groaned. Wasn't Gerda her personal maid? He'd rather clean the ballroom again and do the laundry.

"Hurry up, you lazy ass, you think Elsa likes having to deal with that?"

Finally, he opened the door, wearing a long sleeve and a jacket provided for blustery days around the castle. "Where's the mop?"

She raised an eyebrow. "You mean the mop that Sven broke yesterday?"

She shoved a full bucket and a clean rag into his arms.

"Have fun."

Carefully he carried the bucket filled with soapy water up the flight of stairs to Elsa's room. The handle was frigid and the inside was even colder. The Queen laid on her bed, eyes half open as she breathed deeply. She was paler than usual, and cold sweat clung to her night clothes and messy braid.

He pulled his under shirt up over his nose, and grabbed the bucket most of the vomit was in and took it back downstairs to clean it out, then return it to her side.

She opened her eyes when he started scrubbing the floors, wringing out the rag almost every minute.

"Your hand-" She protests feebly. His left hand was unusable, and his right was raw from the scalding products Anna had slipped into the water.

"I'm fine, go back to sleep," He said, wrinkling his nose when she leans over to throw up, and then gasping, clutching her stomach while tears streak down her face.

"Water?" She asks.

He gets up and heads downstairs to get the clean water and empty the bucket again. When he comes back up, she's still silently sobbing.

"My head hurts," She complains before she gulps down most of the water.

"How much did you have to drink?" He asks, getting back down to his position on the floor to clean up.

She ticks off on her fingers, and he grows uneasy when she starts on the second hand. "Seven."

"Seven?" He repeats. "Your first time drinking."

Her tongue swipes over her chapped lips while he cleans up more of the emesis. "I got worried when I saw all them there, so I just started drinking." She leans over to ralph again before flopping back against her sweat stained pillows.

"I suppose it was a better choice than freezing the kingdom."

"Yeah." She purses her lips. "I'm feeling better and require a bath."

He sucked in a sigh. "I'll go find Gerda."

Before he could find the older woman, he bumped into Anna. "You're supposed to be taking care of Elsa, what are you doing?"

"I need Gerda-"

"You don't need shit, get back up there and do your job."

"But-"

She grabbed him roughly by his shirt. "I can think of something else for you."

"I think I'll go back to..." He trailed off, deciding that telling Anna he was going to bathe her sister didn't seem like a good idea.

"Good, now get out of my sight," She let go of his shirt and swiftly walked back down to the seamstresses room.

He found his way back upstairs after a long debate on whether Anna would catch him if he continued searching for Gerda.

"Where's Gerda?" She asked., leaning up in bed. Her skin was sickly pale and covered in a thin sheen of sweat.

"Uh," He pulled back her blankets. "She's uh helping with dinner. Can you undress yourself?"

She looked down and pulled at the buttons on her chest while he went to run the bath. He added tons of soap, watching it fill with bubbles.

He covered his eyes when he walked back into the room. "Ready?"

He heard the rustle of fabric. "Yes."

He heard her slip into the bath and he opened his eyes. Her body was mostly covered by the bubbles, and he kneeled down and began untangling her braid.

"I'm gonna need you to lace my corset when we're done."

She sighed when he scrubbed her hair clean, and dumped a bowl full of water of her hair to rinse it out.

"I need to attend lunch."

"You're sick," He soothed gently.

"No, I need to see the - the suitors."

He stopped washing. "Suitors?"

"My council wants me to marry and bear a child," She replied.

"Huh." He rebraided her hair sloppily and pinned it up, her bangs falling into her eyes. He passed the washcloth to her so she could clean her chest.

She finished and he let her relax while he cleaned up. He was unsure as to why he didn't like the thought of Elsa marrying someone.

Maybe it was the loveless, money loving man. The thought that he had heard his brother's voice the night before made him shiver. Yeah, that was definitely it, the thought of Elsa being slobbered on by a man who would never love her.

"Hans, I'm done."

He helped her out, not bothering to close his eyes, because he was going to see her naked in a minute anyway. He wrapped her up in her towel, towel drying her and feel a deep uncomfort when he feels her hard nipples underneath the wet towel. She lets out a soft moan, and he immediately stops, afraid someone is gonna come in and see him feeling up the queen.

"Uhm, okay, let's get you dressed."

He strung her corset for her with less mortifying results and helped her with various other parts before helping her into her dress.

"Okay, you're good."

"Good," She fixed her hair. "You're dismissed."

"Any other work you want me to do?"

"Just the laundry."

"All of it...?"

She rolled her eyes, "Just go get your laundry done, then see me again when you're done."

"Whatever you say, my Queen," He replied, helping her down the stairs.

He does the wash leisurely because he doesn't really want to do anything, but walks up to Elsa's room when he's done anyway.

"I'm done," He says, giving a quick knock.

She emerges, looking paler than before. "What?"

"What's my next chore?"

She opened the door up further. "Come in."

He stepped inside. She had shut her curtains and had a book open on her bed, candle burning beside her bed.

"I just need someone to talk to freely."

She wrapped her arms around herself, looking down at her feet while she shuffled over to her bed.

"Nothing leaves this room or I'll cut your penis off," She threatened. He didn't take her seriously, noticing the way her voice cracked with laughter.

He sat down in a chair and crossed his legs. He then turned his attention to the blonde. "Okay, begin."


	3. Chapter 3

She's silent for a long time, just taking apart her braid and raking her fingers through the platinum blonde locks. "Well... I just always thought if I was going to marry it was going to be for love like Mama and Papa, but now I'm just doing this to... to produce a heir."

"Can't you tell the council you don't want this?"

The candle flickers, making her face turn dark and the light back up with dark orange. "They think I should do it while I'm still young, but I don't want to get stuck marrying one of them. They're all just..." She trailed off, making a face to describe the adjective instead.

"You're the Queen though, just tell them you want to wait to get married and... have kids."

"It's what's best for the kingdom, though."

"Then marry someone you want, not some random man."

She looked down at her hands. "No one wants to marry the ice queen, not even the suitors. They're interested in wealth or the rank or just having someone to bear their son."

While he was mostly put back in Anna and Kristoff's care, Elsa would come to his rescue when they became far too extreme. When Kristoff told him to shovel the entire castle ground when a heavy snow fell, Elsa intervened and instead had him distribute cloaks and blankets to the citizens.

He was put in charge of decorating for Christmas, per Elsa's request for his good behavior, but would still find himself having to bend on his knees and pick every pine needle that fell from the tall trees. That had been a task given to him from Anna.

One day he finds folded up clothes on his bed, completely new and sewn exactly to his size. A note was pinned to it, from Elsa, saying he needed to be dressed for dinner, because he was going to be serving.

He dressed, surprised by how ridiculously nice the clothes were. A white button down, and a black vest and pants to match. He ended up rolling up the sleeves, partly because they were a bit long, and partly because if he was serving he wouldn't want anything to get on it.

He snapped back his ragged, long auburn hair into a low ponytail. He really needed it cut, but he doubted Anna or Kristoff would even consider it. His left hand was still mostly unusable, but he unbandaged it so he could look as presentable as possible.

Once in the dining room, one of the head housekeepers instructed him to set the table, and he did so, placing silverwear, plates and cups down at each spot. He brought out dishes of foods and bottles of drinks, stopping only when he heard someone clear their throat.

"Well, it's good to see you be minorly useful."

His older brother swiftly sat down in a chair nearest to the Queen's, stripping of his gloves and tucking them into his coat pocket.

"What would you like to drink?"

"Wine."

Hans poured the red drink into half the glass and then sat it aside to finish prepping for dinner.

"Oh, and Hans-"

He turned back around, frowning. "Yes, Prince Frederick?"

"You look like a damn girl, honestly."

Deciding it was against his best interest to dump a bottle of wine on his brother's head, and went and helped the cook finish tossing the salad together, and brought the bowl out and sat it on the table.

Almost everyone has gathered at the table. Anna and Kristoff sit near the Queen and four other men have sat and are chattering among each other, leaving only two seats empty.

Anna snapped her fingers. "Hans, I need milk you know I can't drink wine."

He retrieved the glass bottle full of milk, and poured some for the red head, and then drinks for everyone else.

"Where's Elsa?" Anna asked, tapping a fork against her drink.

"Maybe she went to build an ice castle because you're an overbearing piece of shit."

Her face burned red and she bristled. "Go get her from her room, we'll discuss your punishment later."

Though he smirked, he quickly realized he should have kept his mouth shut - Frederick was leaning across the table to whisper something to the princess.

He was halfway up to her room when he bumped into her. Her skin was as white as a sheet and her eyes seemed hollow, hair a ragged mess swept around her left shoulder.

"What's wrong?"

She almost jumped, hearing his voice. Quickly she wiped away any tears that had streaked across her face. "I don't want to go down there."

"Then don't." The words fall out of his mouth before he realizes it. "I can go down there and say you're not feeling well."

"No, I should probably go down, they're expecting me." She stood up, quickly fixing her hair into a tight bun at the base of her neck.

They walked back down the stairs to the dining room. He held the door open for her, and before Frederick could get up, he pulled her chair out and pushed her up to the table.

They prayed while he finished serving drinks and left the room to get more bottles of wine. When he came back, Elsa's glass was empty and she she was picking at her food on her plate while one of the men - from somewhere in the Middle East - talks to her about trade.

"You need to eat or you're going to be sick again," He whispers in her ear while he pours a little less wine in her glass. She stuffs some spinach in her mouth, then downs about a fourth of the red wine.

The dinner drags on for hours. He finds himself continuously bringing out more food, cleaning shards of broken glasses, spilled wine, and dropped food. Anna became sick of the political talk and men trying to out do each other in favor of the queen, and went to bed after an hour into it.

"Hans, be a doll and go bring out dessert?" Elsa asked. She was tired, he could tell. But Frederick and Rajesh were still arguing over who was more worthy of marrying the queen while Juanes still muttered about how his kingdom was among the most peaceful.

He brought out the pie that had been sliced and set on each plate with whipped milk on top and a strawberry resting atop. He gave each person a plate, watching Elsa try and fit as much as possible into her mouth so she could leave.

"You know, it's amazing how well you've transformed Hans," Frédérick began, loading his fork with a bite. "Twenty three years together and I could have never accomplished what you have in six months."

Hans tensed, setting the last piece in front of Kristoff.

"What do you do to get him like this?"

"He has daily chores and little free time," Elsa replied. "Any free time he does have needs to be supervised."

There's a pause. "So you don't use physical force?"

"No."

He looked intrigued, but Elsa cut him off by standing. "I'm ready to retire, Kristoff escort me to my room. Hans, clean up, then come see me, we need to discuss your punishment."

After everyone else left, he took care of the dirty dishes and washed them, wiped down the table and swept and mopped. The clock was chiming into the morning when he finally finished and climbed the stairs to see Elsa.

He knocked, hoping she was asleep. He knew Elsa was often fairer than her sister, but that didn't mean she wasn't going to freeze him to death. Or, freeze his heart and watch him wither away because if only someone loved you, Hans.

"Come in."

Hesitantly, he opened the door, quickly bowing. She was reading, having pulled up a chair next to the large window and reading under the silver moonlight that bathed the room.

"Hello, Hans." She shut her book.

He didn't respond, just tucked his unusable hand into his pants pocket. If he was about to be made into an ice statue, he needed to look good for it.

"Please shut the door."

He kicked it shut, stepping closer to the Queen. Her hair was down in a messy array of wavy blonde locks, falling down her back and across her breasts, and she was wearing a long white nightgown, face washed of any make up.

"I just wanted to say that I appreciate you trying so hard, it's obvious that you're trying to get over... what happened. I'm going to talk to Anna and Kristoff about laying off you a bit, obviously you're not defined by a single action."

She bit her lip, staring out the window. "But, uhm, unfortunately I still have to punish you."

He opened his mouth to object, but she cut him off.

"Anna wanted to put you in Frederick's care for it, but after how he talked at dinner..." She trailed off, looking outside. "Tomorrow you're to scrub my ice castle from top to bottom. I'll be there to make sure you do it correctly."

Taking a deep sigh, he nodded. "Yes, my Queen."

She smiled, and he looked up at her, they're eyes locking. A blush spread across her already pink cheeks, and she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "I don't think you're a bad person."

"No?"

She shook her head. "Not once."

"Very well if that's all then-" He stepped over to the door, only to be cut off by her standing up and kissing him.

His right hand weaved through her blonde hair, the other hand tightening as best it could against her waist to kiss her harder, breathing in the scent of her and the taste of too much wine. They broke apart, a blush quickly spreading across her already pink face.

"I - uhm - that is all. You're dismissed." She smiled shyly, sitting back down and smoothing her nightgown.

He exited the room and went down to his bed, collapsing into the pile of blankets, still unsure as to what the fuck just happened.


	4. Chapter 4

Elsa wakes him too early for his taste, pulling the blankets off his half naked body.

"It's cold," He whined, snatching the blankets back. He tried to cover himself back up, but she had already froze the fibers, making it akin to the material of her ice dresses.

"Get dressed, you need to make us lunch and pack your cleaning supplies."

He groaned, grabbing his shirt and winter coat to wear. She was already dressed, riding dress, boots and a cloak, her hair pinned tightly in a braid down her back, so she politely ignored him while he slid off his comfortable pants in exchange for his workclothes, and then buttoned the winter wear.

Once he was done he packed them lunch - sandwiches, apples and some chocolate, per Elsa's request - and then saddled up the horses for them ride up the north mountain.

He patted Sitron's nose, offering him a carrot in consolation while he led him out. Elsa's own horse was just as timid as it'a rider, but they made it to the ice castle without any injury, and he unpacked his cleaning supplies while Elsa hugged her giant snow creature.

He's already swept up all the splintered ice from the chandelier room - that's what he calls it in his mind, replaying the moment of horror in his mind when the arrow sliced through the ice decoration rather than sail peacefully into the cieling - when Elsa comes in, working with her powers to make herself a seat and begin reading. He just rolls his eyes, dumping the ice off the balcony and begins scrubbing the floors.

Hours pass in silence, and he's started scrubbing the staircase that led down the stairs when she finally speaks up.

"About yesterday?" Her voice is soft, embarrassed maybe, her cheeks tinted red.

He simply continues to put his focus on the pristine floor. "What about it?"

"I kissed you," She says, gathering up her cloak so she can sit comfortably on the opposing set of stairs. "And then you... kissed me back."

He frowns, washing down another step. "I'm not seeing where this is going."

She opens her mouth to say something, looking down at her hands. He moves from his spot to wash the other staircase, and she stood up hurriedly. For a long time all he could hear was the scrubbing of his washcloth against the steps, and occasionally Elsa flipping a page in her book.

"Do you want to break for lunch?" She asked, while he discarded his jacket. In the six months he had lost so much weight, and he guessed half of it was from all the sweating he did while working.

"Sure."

They sat on the icy floor, facing each other while he bit into an apple and she looked through the different assortment of sandwiches, finally breaking off chocolate and eating that instead.

"Hans," She starts, and fuck how long has it been since someone actually called him by his name? Elsa refused to address him as anything but Westergård for a long time.

"Hmm?" He swallows the apple in his mouth. "Is this about me kissing you, again?"

She opens her mouth to say something, looking down at her hands. He moves from his spot to wash the other staircase, and she stood up hurriedly. For a long time all he could hear was the scrubbing of his washcloth against the steps, and occasionally Elsa flipping a page in her book.

"Do you want to break for lunch?" She asked, while he discarded his jacket. In the six months he had lost so much weight, and he guessed half of it was from all the sweating he did while working.

"Sure."

They sat on the icy floor, facing each other while he bit into an apple and she looked through the different assortment of sandwiches, finally breaking off chocolate and eating that instead.

"Hans," She starts, and fuck how long has it been since someone actually called him by his name? Elsa refused to address him as anything but Westergård for a long time.

"Hmm?" He swallows the apple in his mouth. "Is this about me kissing you, again?"

Her face darkened, looking down at her hands in her lap. "Well, actually I kissed you."

"Technicalities." He bit into the apple again.

"And I wanted to say I'm sorry if it made you uncomfortable. I guess I was just being selfish."

"No you weren't being selfish I mean - I kissed you back, right?"

There was a long pause and he finished off his apple, reaching for a sandwich this time.

"So wait, does that mean we can kiss again?" She asked, discarding the tinfoil he had wrapped around the sandwiches to keep them fresh.

"Well, my Queen." He stood, wiping off his hands. "Is that an order?"

Her cheeks darken further, if possible, red splotches down to her collarbone and her ears tinting pink. "Yes but - mmpfh."

She never finished her sentence, awkwardly tried to find a place to rest her hands while he kissed his beautiful Queen.

He became possessive, fast, without meaning to. When Rajesh kissed her hand goodnight after they had dinner he felt the need to snap his neck. But it wasn't his place, and it's not like him and Elsa were even an item. They weren't... anything.

They talked a lot, mostly about nothing in particular, while he cleaned out the dusty old library or braided her hair or shined her shoes. They were rarely intimate, in fact after the day at the ice castle the farthest they had gotten was a two second hug before she went out for a walk with Frederick.

He longed to have her, but he knew he couldn't. Not fully, anyways. They'd always be separated by some unspoken rift, not able to be married or have children or properly be in love.

Months later, near the tail end of winter, Anna requests he cleans out all the chiminies, singing that he looks like an imp covered in coal. "We should change your name," She says thoughtfully, tipping back on her feet against a desk.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. How do you feel about Cinders?"


	5. Chapter 5

It's not until weeks after he gets his new nickname from Anna that him and Elsa get a chance to speak again. When they do she's leading him up to her room, still in her white nightgown while they tiptoe up the stairs and silently close her door.

"Guess what?"

They fell back onto her bed, and she curled up under his arm, kissing his neck and to the scoop of his shirt.

"Tell me?"

"Anna arranged to have a masquerade ball, and I need to pick my suitor then."

He froze, jaw clicking shut as he moved away from her. "And this was supposed to be good news?"

"I just thought you should know," She said softly. "Being a Queen is harder than you think, Hans. You're constantly judged and have to try and make good judgement calls and you never get a break from being in charge-"

She broke off, confused when she saw Hans readjusting to adjust their positions.

"What are you doing?"

She gasped when he slid his hands up her nightgown, pulling her panties down.

"Giving you a break from being in charge."

He pulled her panties off, flicking them off his hands and down to the floor, and kissed her, softly, down her neck and her collar bone, ripping open the buttons on the nightgown, making her whimper and rake her hands through his hair.

"Hans, please-" Her voice is breathy, but he presses a hand over her mouth.

"You're not in charge here, Elsa."

The fact that he says her name instead of her title makes her shiver, tugging at his hair when he pulled a nipple into his mouth and rolled it between his teeth.

He pulled away, watching his Queen squirm in pleasure. The nipple that he had been torturing was bruising a light blue, and she was practically screaming for more. "Hans-"

"Well, isn't someone a dirty girl?" He asked, letting his thumb stroke the opposite one. She shuddered, whimpering when he bit down on her neck again; marking her as his.

"Hans-" Her voice had dropped and sounded a little pained.

He pulled back at her voice. "We can stop if you want."

She nodded, and they sat up, him helping her into a new night dress. He discarded the ruined one before tucking her into bed.

He pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Goodnight, sleep well."

She snatched his arm before he could walk away. "You can still stay in here." She moved a strand of hair from her face. "I just wasn't expecting that. We need to talk more beforehand."

"Right." They situated awkwardly on her bed, curling up together. "What if someone sees us?"

"They won't."

"Me not being in my bed might be a little suspicious."

She let her finger trail across his face, stopping the bridge of his nose. "We'll worry about it in the morning."

When morning did come, Elsa was woke up far earlier than he usually was. She was rubbing her eyes and talking to someone on the other side of the door when he finally came to.

"Just push everything back an hour, Kai."

"I can't your majesty. Frederick would like for you to accompany him at breakfast."

Elsa groaned covering her head with the blanket and turning towards Hans. "Tell him I'll be out in twenty minutes."

"Very well, your majesty."

As soon as she heard Kai walk away she stood and started getting dressed.

"You need to help me with my corset," She says, and he stands to help her tie the strings. She got into a dress, this time with a high neckline, covering all the marks he left over her. He helped her with her hair, which she put in a tight braid and then in a knot at the nape of her neck.

He kissed her forehead. "We'll talk later."

"About the thing?"

He kissed her head again. "Just have fun."

"Oh, no you're coming with."

He really didn't want to deal with Frederick, but he nodded anyway and left to change into fresher clothes. Anna had started replacing some of them, because working as hard as he did constantly put holes and busted the seams, so he was unsurprised when he found Anna putting a new cotton shirt and work pants on his bed.

"Where have you been all morning?" She asked, hands on her hips. "I need you to clean out Sven's stall-"

"I can't, I'm serving breakfast."

She opened her mouth to reply and he started redressing with her still in there.

"Okay, fine, but where you this morning?"

"Reading to Elsa all night, she was having nightmares," He lied, pulling the pants on. They were a bit big, so he stuck a safety pin in it.

Hans walked downstairs, taking his time, and stopped in the kitchen before even asking what they wanted. He filled two cups with orange juice and grabbed what he knew Elsa wanted - thick French bread and berries lightly dusted in powder sugar. The cook scolded him for providing the Queen with 'fattening foods' but he couldn't find it in him to care less, Elsa would still be the pinnicle of beauty.

Next he got around oatmeal for his brother, and just barely stopped himself from putting in some cinnamon - something his brother was highly allergic to - and tossed some raspberries in and walked out to the dining room.

"There you are! We thought you'd gotten lost!" Though his tone was joking, when Elsa looked up and away from the brunette he smirked at Hans.

He placed the food in front of them, cut Elsa's bread into pieces when she requested it, and stood back to watch his brother try and win his way into the Queen's skirts.

"I was thinking you should really come see the Southern Isles. Very beautiful, warm-"

Hans rolled his eyes. It was more akin to the blazes of hell, constantly muggy and was overrun with bugs trying to get to the all the citrus and coffee beans they grew. He doubted the ice queen would like it much.

"I'm afraid as queen, it would be in my better interest to stay in Arendelle."

Frédérick faltered a moment, then threw a wicked smile at Hans, who in return stuck his tongue out. "No worries, we'll find something as equally exciting."

Elsa swallowed what was in her mouth. "Like what?"

"Like..." He got up, looking around. Hans smirked, knowing he was out of ideas. "Do you like to sing?"

"What?"

"I saw a piano around here, I'm sure. It's been a while, but I can still play."

"You play piano?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. They stood and went out to another room, Hans making sure to stay close to the blonde.

"It's been a few years, but I used to be very good-"

"I played better than you," Hans interrupted him. He had been the one to play for an event that his parents had hosted when they were younger. It was a position each of them had wanted, but when Hans had gotten it, it hadn't taken longer than a few minutes for his brothers to start teasing him about being a teacher's pet and locked him in a closet shortly before the event.

"Yes, well, I suppose you had to be good at something," Frédérick laughed, brushing him off. He sat at the piano, fingers resting on the keys.

Frederick played the piano, quick and sharp and Hans rolled his eyes.

"I'll tell you a tale of the bottomless blue-" He smiled, finishing the line off and smirking at Hans. This time he wasted no time flipping him off.

"And it's hey to the starboard, heave ho!" Elsa giggled. "My dad used to sing it when he came back from sails."

"Look out, lad, a mermaid be waiting for you."

"In mysterious fathoms below." They sang the part in harmony, and the paused before the next part.

"You have a voice of an angel," Frédérick said, smiling, fingers still flying across the piano. He missed a few notes, but Hans doubted Elsa was fine tuned enough to hear the mistakes.

"Thanks, you're not too bad yourself." Elsa blushed, nervously tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

Frederick grinned at the red head once more before continuing. "From whence wayward-"

"-Westerlies blow."

"Where Triton is king and his merpeople sing. In mysterious fathoms below."

Frédérick stopped playing with a /clunk/, and Hans gritted his teeth.

"Here, Hans, you play, since you're so good," Frédérick quipped, sliding off the bench and taking Elsa's hand.

He sat quietly, struggling to not push his brother out a window. Though with his reputation he bet that would probably be the last thing he'd want to do, especially now that people were slowly starting to warm up to him.

So, he picked the most intricate song he could think of and started playing it from memory, concentrating on the melody of the keys and waver of Elsa's voice.

Once he was done, he turned. "I'm sorry, Frederick, her majesty has an appointment in ten minutes that I need to escort her to."

"Oh." His brother's face fell, and he brought Elsa's knuckle to his lips to kiss. "I'll see you later?"

"I'll be taking dinner in my room, I have other matters to attend to," She replied flatly.

"Very well."

The brunette turned and stalked off toward the library.

"What appointment?"

He gave her a look, barely concealing his look of astonishment. God, this was the Queen?

"Upstairs, now," He hissed.

"Hey, you're not the boss of me-" Her mouth fell open in realization, trying to control the quickly spreading blush.

They went upstairs, separately. Even though Hans wanted nothing more than to gather her up in his arms and carry her while she giggled, hiding her flushed face, he knew if they got caught it'd be the end of the line for him and quite disgraceful for her.

He'd become rather good with the ladies' clothing since Anna had started making him fix torn pieces of her clothing, so it didn't take him long to undress Elsa and leave her squirming on her bed while he bit against her pale, freckled skin, grinding down against her.

Despite her want for him too, he never took off any clothing. It'd be too hard to explain him lacking clothing. He focused on kissing every inch of his Queen, biting and bruising and sucking wherever he wanted because she was his and no one else's. He'd lower his mouth to a nipple, letting his fingers dance across her labia and gently spread them, watching her face and kissing her when he gently pushed a finger in. His favorite part was watching her orgasm, hair sweaty and messy across her face, cheeks dark and teeth biting into her lower lip.

Afterwards he ran her a nice warm bath and helped her clean up, redress and lay down for an afternoon nap.

He pulled the blanket up to her chin, brushing her hair from her eyes. "Elsa?"

"Hmm?" She looks up at him, smiling softly.

"If you have to marry someone, don't let it be Frederick."

"Okay," she repeated hollowly. "Hans? I think I'm in love with you."

He kissed her forehead, smiled and left. Almost immediately he bumped into Anna.

"Where have you been?" Her eyes were narrowed while he hastily closed Elsa's door.

"I brought Elsa clean sheets, she wanted to take a nap. I'll get started on the stables right away."

She frowned, but stepped aside to let him through, and peeked into her sister's room.


	6. Chapter 6

Anna kept him more than busy all the way up until the day of the ball. He shined shoes, mopped floors, fixed clothes, prepped dinner and did everything within his area of expertise to make sure everything was perfect. He didn't get to see or talk to the Queen, too tired after a day of work to even consider sneaking into her room to see her.

He serves each of the suitors breakfast the morning of the ball, while Anna leers at him over her eggs and strawberries and Elsa giggles while a maid says something in her ear. He takes a deep breath, dreading the night.

"Hans, refill my drink," Frédérick snaps, pointing to his glass. He runs a hand nervously through his hair while he steps over to him.

One of the other suitors trips him, and he tumbles to the ground, listening to laughter bubble at the table. Something inside him snaps, sick of being the bullied, less talented younger brother, and he thinks twenty four years is more than enough time to put up with it. He doesn't think as he grabs the jar of milk on the table and dumps it over his brother's head, watching his tailored suit run with the white, while he spits out the creamy liquid.

"Hans!" Elsa snaps, pushing the maid she was laughing with away. She stood up, glancing at the two brothers. He gultily sets the empty glass bottle down. "Get Frédérick a new suit, and discard the other one. Then go to your room until I tell you otherwise."

"I'm not five," He argues, glaring at her. He's pissed at everyone, even her, even though she hasn't done a thing to make him hate her. Even if he tried to kill her, she still had enough trust to remove him from an abusive situation and place him in a safe situation.

On the other hand, however, she stood back for months while Anna slipped bleach into his soapy water or Kristoff coated powder into his clothes. He crosses his arms. "You're not the boss of me."

"Fine." She crosses her arms, looking for help, as if she's not sure if she's still in charge, or if his words really meant nothing to everyone else. When she confirms she actually is still in charge of the scene, she continued. "No dinner. Go to your room."

"Wow, is that the best you can do /your majesty/?" He asks, leaning over to practically rip the jacket off his brother. The buttons pull apart while he looks at his Queen, tears threatening to spill, and he's ashamed that he doesn't hesitate to rub salt in the wound. "Oh no, I can't eat dinner! As if you gave a rat's ass about whether or not I was being fed it before."

He turns on his heel and storms out before she or Anna - who has started to stand to defend her sister - can reply. While he's still in earshot he hears Elsa begin crying, and he feels a pang of guilt shoot through him even though he's still fuming.

He finds spare clothes and dumps them on Frederick's guest bed, hesitating to shake powder over them, but he's already crying, because he knows what comes after lashing out, and Elsa isn't going to save him this time.

Later he walks back to his room, hoping to find enough supplies to mend the jacket, only to find every inch of it as sparkling ice, snow falling from the ceiling.

He dumps soap into a bucket and takes it downstairs to fill with water and wash the coat out under the stream. Then he shoves the jacket into the hot water and decides he'll scrub it later.

He walks up the stairs to see Elsa, only to quickly be stopped by Anna. "Where are you going?"

"To apologize to Elsa." He replies shortly. There's no need to lie to her.

Instead if moving she laughs. "I'm sorry if I find that hard to believe. You didn't apologize when you tried to kill us both."

"I'm sorry," He says softly. He refrains from rolling his eyes. "For leaving you to freeze to death."

She raised an eyebrow, then slowly stepped aside. "Five minutes."

He went in, skin tingling from the cold. She was laying on her bed, crying into her pillow while snow fell around her.

"Go away, Anna."

He stiffened then gently brushed a hand through her messy hair. Her crying slowly turned into sniffling, shoulders tightening when he ran a hand down her spine.

"Hans." Her voice was hoarse, and she sounded completely defeated. "Why?"

"I'm sorry," He said softly. He combed through her hair and began to braid it, listening to her whimpers and cries. With a ribbon he pulled it back into a bun at the nape of her neck, watching her flinch away. He leaned down, mouth just barely brushing her ear. "You're gonna be a beautiful bride."

Then, he turns and leaves.

He walks back to his room, retrieves the jacket and rinses it out again, before hanging it to dry in the laundry room, watching the water splatter to the floor. When he's done he retreats back to his room like Elsa told him to, and lays on his back, watching the cieling.

He misses lunch and break, stuck in his freezing room, and when the door finally opens, it's Anna. She looks at him suspiciously when he flinches away.

She puts her hands on her hips, frowning at him. "Elsa's still crying, so she can't come down here. But she said you're going to eat, even though I said you should starve to death. When you're done, go see Frederick."

He feels his blood run cold. Getting his heart frozen by the ice queen would be less painful. Still, he didn't object. She dropped the plate of rice, peas and cheese on the floor, and left without so much as another word.

Slowly as possible, he ate. Then, he ignored the command to see Frederick. As far as he knew, his brother had no control over him here, so he went and found Anna instead.

"Did you find Frederick?" She asked, struggling to do her hair, sitting in her undergarments in front of the mirror.

"No, I belong to the Queen and Princess of Arendelle," He replied, mimicking the words Elsa had said the first day he had arrived.

"Ugh, whatever. Go scrub the banister or something."

He leaned forward, hooking his fingers into her poorly made braid and quickly unraveled it and redid it so it was a perfect ring around her head, clipped with an ornament on the side and ribbon trailing over her left shoulder. She touched it, then stood up, voice high with annoyance. "OUT."

He walks out and retrieves the dried jacket from the laundry area. He takes it back to his room to tailor it, pricking his hand more than once with the needle. He stops himself from returning it, however.

Why shouldn't he get a happily ever after? He looks over to the mirror, his long scraggly hair frame his pallor. Without thinking a second more, he chopped the locks off with the sewing scissors.


	7. Chapter 7

"Prince James," He said, nodding his head in acknowledgement. The servant with a checklist raised an eyebrow, sifting through the names before stepping aside and letting him through.

The ball was barely getting started when he walked in. The princess was dancing with a a foreign king, her mask lifted off her face and swept to the side behind her right ear. There were other women of course, and not to draw suspicion to himself, he asked a brunette to dance before he could pursue Elsa.

He danced twice with the brunette, her gold mask glittering everytime they swept a turn. He bowed after the last time, hoping to find Elsa. Instead, he accidentally bumps into the red head sister, who was downing a glass of white wine.

He grabbed her hand before she fell back on the floor, though, placing the wine aside. "Glad I caught you."

Her mouth almost falls open, brain quickly clicking together and he lets go of her hand to continue his search for the Queen.

Within a few minutes, the young women was introduced by her servant. Her dress glittered blue, almost akin to her ice, which wove in intricate patterns down her body, across her arms and stopped when it was cut off at her neck. Her neck was covered in large blotches of concealer and a necklace with a snowflake hung and dipped just barely above her breasts. The mask was white with snowflakes painted on and her hair done in an intricate set of curls down her back.

After everyone clapped, he let someone else take her hand for a dance, standing back and watching her hands tremble in the older man's gloved ones.

Once the dance is done, she retreats back to the front of the room, leaving the man she had been dancing with to fend for his own. Now it was his turn.

He walked to the front, and bowed swiftly and politely. "Prince James. May I request a dance?"

She let her hand rest in his, voice timid. "Yes."

He led her out to the dance floor, and waited for the song to start, a few other people clustered on the floor. Anna was dancing with Kristoff now, his mask still attached firmly to his face.

"Are you enjoying yourself?" He asked, sweeping them in a circle. She almost stumbled, so he slowed the pace, forgetting she didn't dance well.

"I'm fine," She replied quickly, looking away. The music ended, and she quickly unraveled herself from him. "It was nice to dance with you."

"You don't want a second one?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. "After all, I have nothing to talk about except how beautiful you are."

There it was, the way he knew her, flushed and smiling, antsily looking at the other suitors before letting him lead her again.

"You could stand to go on," She murmured, smirking.

"Oh, about how you're the most gorgeous woman here?" He asked, tilting her down, hand still clutching her hip. "Or how wonderful and strong and loving you are?"

She bit her bottom lip, hand travelling down to rest on his bicep. "You must be very poor to be trying to marry into Arendelle."

"I'm not trying to marry anywhere," He said. "I'm just making sure you're having a good time."

She looked down at her feet while they continued the waltz. When recognition finally dawned on her, her head snapped up to glare at him. "What are you doing here, Hans?" She hissed.

"Making sure you have a little bit of fun before you're married." He gripped her waist a little tighter.

"I'm getting married, and you made it very clear today you didn't want to continue what we had."

"Very irritational of me. I-" He paused so they could clap for the end of the song. "-Love you. And I decided I'd rather you just freeze my heart than watch you marry another man."

"You're being rather dramatic." She rolled her eyes, and stepped on his foot, though it was unclear if it intentional.

"Well, we could run off and skip all the dramatic parts."

"What?"

"Run off, someplace nice maybe. Maybe Corona."

Elsa snorted, almost falling over in peals of laughter. "You do realize I am the Queen, right?"

He was very close to saying 'leave Anna in charge', except Anna and responsibilities weren't a good mix. Instead, he just sighed. "Okay."

Obviously she was expecting more of a fight from him, since she raised an eyebrow suspiciously.

"If that's what you want, then I'm not going to force you."

"Oh, Hans," She wrapped her arms around his neck in a hug, tears staining her cheeks. He ran a hand soothingly down her back. She leaned up to kiss him, and he placed his hand against her cheek, thumb gently caressing her to soothe.

And then he feels the ribbon keeping the mask tied break, the silver and black decorated cover in Anna's hand.

He turned towards Anna, grabbing towards the mask, but she held it above her head and too far to the right for him to reach. She grinned wickedly, then opened her mouth. "GUARDS! Prince Hans escaped his room!"

Elsa's hands had fallen away from him, and he stepped towards the rotten princess. "I should have let you fall on your ass, just like I should have a year ago."

Her lips curled back distastefully. "I'm just trying to protect Arendelle."

"You're doing a hell of a job." He stiffened when someone came up behind him, forcing cuffs on him. His mind was already whirling with stories.

He was thrown in a room in the dungeon unceremoniously. They shut and locked the door, grumbling to each other as they stomped back upstairs. He looped his arms back up to his front, letting his hands rest in his lap.

He dozed against the wall until he finally heard footsteps hours later. He strained to hear the delicate and quiet paces, immediately checking Anna off the people it could be.

And when the door opened, it wasn't Elsa either.

. . .

Elsa found herself in the marketplace of the kingdom the next day, since there was a celebration going on for the anniversary of her coronation. She had played with children, talked to woman and addressed problems some of the labor force saw. On her walk back to the kingdom she heard jeering and shouts of celebration coming from the town square. Curious, she walked over trying to push through some people, while there were even louder shouts of agreement.

She pushed close enough to the front that she could peek between two hulking bodies who were yelling, clothes bearing that of Ice Harvester wear. She peeked between them, and she felt all the breath go out of her body when she saw the scene in front of her.

Hans, on his knees on the scaffold. His shirt had been tossed aside, his head bend down to stare at the wood while blood dripped down his back, cuts and welts and marks against his back, above him Frederick with the whip. Hans stayed put despite the lack of restraints, body shaking. The whip came down again against his already raw skin, exposing more skin and drawing further blood, and he let out a scream, cracked by his rough throat.

Without a second thought she conjured up enough ice to rebuild her ice castle and threw it at Frederick, running up the steps and almost flinging herself onto Hans, tears slipping from her eyes. Warm blood slid from under her hands while she tried desperately soothe him with the ice, only for him to choke out a sob.

"Can you stand?" She asked, looping one of his arms around her shoulders. He was practically dead weight when they stood, his face sheet white.

She turned towards the citizens before they exited. "Arendelle does not stand for these forms of punishment. There is a reason Prince Hans was not given this sentence in this first place, we are always to give another chance and show compassion."

He helped a little down the stairs, but collapsed when they got to the gate, forcing her to take a deep breath and carry his weight into the palace. She called a guard and had him take him to her room and lay him on his stomach, while she washed her hands of the slick blood and gathered materials.

She returned to her room, hands shaking. His back was raw, and the sheet the guard had thoughtfully placed over him was saturated in blood. Carefully she moved the cover off him, her stomach turning. There was no way she could help him - reading was different than actually doing, and she was too squeamish to actually touch him or try to bandage the wound.

She bit her knuckle, looking at the mess. He was covered in lacerations and lesions, welts swelling pink against his skin. He took a sharp intake of air when she trailed a finger against his back with some ice to help the pain. Beyond that, she had no idea what to do.

She sat in the chair, hugging into herself and tears streaking down her face. Hans was going to die because she didn't have the power to even remotely help him. She wished she had been born more like Rapunzel, with the ability to heal and help people. Instead she had powers that just hurt people.

Someone knocked on the door. "Elsa?" Anna propped the door open. "What was with the commotion in-" Her mouth fell open, distracted by the blood on Elsa's hands, and Hans laying practically dead in her bed.


	8. Chapter 8

,Hans felt himself tense when smaller hands were placed on his back, mopping up the mess. They were gentle, but the pain was still practically unbearable.

Someone started talking, but it sounded far off and like they were talking though a bubble. Another set of hands brushed through his hair, humming.

"Hans, stay awake, please." Elsa's light, ringing voice broke through, brushing hair from his face and kissing his forehead.

He opened his mouth to say something, but his throat was raw and the most he could do was groan in absolute pain.

"We're almost done, promise."

He nodded. Someone else was wrapping something thick and warm around his back, knotting it tightly to stay.

"There we're done." Anna's voice mingled in, though he couldn't see her. He winced, wondering if the redhead had laced the bandages with poison or some other torturous finding.

"Thank you, Anna." He rasped, bowing his head as well as he could respectfully toward her.

"I guess you're not too bad," Anna said thoughtfully, kissing his head. "When you're better, we'll need to get you fitted for new clothes, yours are absolutely atrocious."

He looked at her, narrowing his eyes. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, why?"

He tried to sit up, tensing at the pain. "You're being awfully nice."

She smiled and looked at her sister. "Yes, well, I suppose it's time to put it behind us. The past is in the past."

They hugged, and after a moment, Anna left the room, leaving a tense pause between him and Elsa.

"What happened?" He finally asked. He remembered being brought out to the scaffold but it started to blur together after a couple dozen hits.

"I stopped Frederick from hitting you anymore, and then I brought you back here, and when I started panicking, Anna took over."

He winced when he reached for the blanket to cover up. Elsa noticed and pulled it around him.

"So what happens now?" He asked.

"I - I don't know." She looked down at her hands, which were shaking in her lap. "I probably ruined any credibility I had left when I blasted Frederick off the side of the platform."

"Ah, well it was about time someone knocked him down a peg."

She smiled kindly, hands folded into her lap. "Yes, well I suppose that means I don't have to marry him. I can marry who I want." Her eyes shift to him, sparkling with joy, and smiling stupidly.

"Me?"

"Yes, you silly. You heard, Anna likes you now."

"It wouldn't work."

Her smile dropped right off her face. "What? Why not?" She sounded upset.

"I'm an exiled Prince, I deserve being a servant, and you... you're a queen."

Her lip quivers and she quickly stands and walks out.

She doesn't visit again while he's on rest, and when he's finally put back to work with stitching and bandaging, and he goes to clean her room with a scalding bucket of water and soap.

On her bed is a dress neatly folded in a pile, her crown nestled atop.


End file.
